Content Warning: This section of the guide includes descriptions of antisemitism, genocide, and the violence of war.

The novel opens in Warsaw, Poland in August of 1939. Zofia Nowak and her best friend Janina Steinman are in the park practicing first aid with their Girl Guides troop. Across the city, residents are preparing for the possibility of war as Nazi Germany intensifies its aggression toward Poland. Zofia relishes the idea of helping to defend her country. Zofia and Janina are 17 years old and are entering their final year of high school. They discuss options for what they might do after graduation. Janina—who wants to become a teacher—suggests that Zofia might become an author because she loves to read so much. Zofia scoffs at the idea, but it takes hold.

As their Girl Guides meeting draws to a close, Zofia teases Janina about her crush on Zofia’s older brother, Antek. Janina, Zofia, and their friend Maria are reading The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. They selected the book because it is on the list of books banned by Hitler in Germany. They walk to the library after their meeting to discuss the book together.